Fox TV was filming some scenes from TERMINATOR THE SARAH CONNER CHRONICLES in my neighborhood today. Not much action, but they did Terminate all of the parking for three blocks around for two days. A major pain in the ass, but it’s an industry town, right? Just one of the prices we pay for living in Tinseltown. We still bitched to the studio people, and they gave us their usual response: “But we bring Money into the neighborhood!”. Wish I’d see some of it.
Riding the bus can be an interesting human experiment. A wide range of characters are obliged to inhabit and coexist in a confined space for a period of time, often with various degrees of harmony. But there is also an interesting dynamic that starts from the moment you enter this vessel of suspended discord.
“Summer ’08, List to Accomplish” a short novel by Fulana DeTal
It was already July, and I could tell that this summer could suck like all the rest unless I put my mind to some serious changes in my life. I rolled out of bed despite my ass begging to stay put, and threw what I could grab into my purse. I had two bus tokens left and two minutes left on my cell phone. 2+2=4. 4 means the #4 bus westbound bus. I was going to the beach! Continue reading
Memories of a Lost Boulevard Series, A Tribute to Whittier Boulevard
Whittier Boulevard Movie Theaters, Part 2.
THE GARMAR THEATER
2325 Whittier Blvd., Montebello, CA
As I was speaking to someone the other day about this lost Montebello movie house, A long time resident who was standing within earshot came up and sighed; “The Garmar! I loved that Show! If you couldn’t afford the Golden Gate, you couldn’t afford the Garmar! Continue reading
Memories of A Lost Boulevard, A Tribute To Whittier Boulevard
Whittier Boulevard Movie Theaters, Part 1.
 
 THE GOLDEN GATE THEATER
5176 Whittier Blvd. & Atlantic Avenue
East Los Angeles, CA.
Oh, what a wonderful place it was! Growing up, I had inherited my Dad’s passion for cinema and so going to the movies was for me, a much anticipated and sublime experience. We were a movie going family and I often indulged my cinema hunger by visiting all of my neighborhood theaters as often as I could. Among those cherished trips, my visits to the Golden Gate Theater stand out as the most treasured. The sheer joy of going to that temple of flickering images began as you stepped from the sidewalk….
While I was enjoying SOLEDADENMASA‘s last post, I was inspired to this pendejada.
For some time, I’ve noticed a weird Chicano Phenomenon. Through my explorations of media like Lowrider Magazine, Myspace, Music Videos, Chicano Cable Shows, etc., I’ve discovered that in regions outside of So. Cal, like say, up Norte (Fresno, Sacramento) and particularly in other states (Texas, Arizona) it’s like:
“The Vatos That Time Forgotâ€. I mean, image wise, the Chicano homies & hainas appear to be about 20 yrs. behind the current SoCal look. It appears that the Vato look has evolved here in L.A. over the years, but outside of here it’s still predominantly the Pendletons-khakis and bandanas “Retro-Homie” look for the guys & girls in that scene. Is it just me or has anyone else noticed this?
Also, It almost seems that socially & politically they are only recently going through the growing pains we did here in the 70s-80’s. Could it be that the demographic is finally reaching critical mass in other places and is only now mirroring the SoCal Chicano (r)evolution of previous generations? That would mean that we here were, to some great degree, the pioneers & prototypes for the American Chicano model in this country, even going back to the Pachuco days. That’s Cool!
tangent/addendum-I give those older Chicano generations all the respect they deserve. They had to forge a hard fought path in establishing an identity within a society that wasn’t near as accommodating or sympathetic as we have today, and they did it on Huevos alone. Here’s to you! Salúd Carnales!
For those of us who like to plan our weekends over 2 months in advance, I’ve gotten hold of some advance chisme on the musical lineup for this year’s Annual Sunset Junction Street Fair taking place Saturday & Sunday August 23 & Aug 24 in Silver Lake (over on the Westside). Here’s some of the headliners for both nights….
Hoover Stage
6:00pm Arthur Adams
7:30pm Michael Henderson
8:00pm Jeane Carne
9:30pm Isaac Hayes
Â
Sanborn Stage
8:00pm Notch
9:30pm Antibalas AfroBeat Orchestra
Â
Bates Stage
8:00pm Broken Social Scene
9:30pm Cold War Kids
Â
Hoover Stage
7:00pm Jeffrey Osborne
8:00pm Stephanie Mills
Â
Sanborn Stage
6:30pm Sister Nancy
8:00pm Kinky
Â
Bates Stage
6:45pm Chk Chk Chk!!!
8:30pm Black Keys
Â
Â
Â
June 05, 2008 11:46 AM EST
ATLANTA – Hispanic workers die at higher rates than other laborers, with 1 in 3 of these deaths occurring in the construction industry, a government study reported Thursday.
Hispanics tend to hold more high-risk jobs than those in other racial groups, but language and literacy barriers and poor training and supervision may also be factors, researchers said. The leading causes of death in recent years have been falls and highway-related accidents.
“Many of the Hispanic workers in construction are undocumented, and many of those who are recently arrived do face a language barrier,” said Rakesh Kochhar, associated director for research at the Pew Hispanic Center. “A language barrier hinders understanding of a job, or the risks associated with it, or safety precautions,” said Kochhar, who was not part of the new study”.
Â
Hey, I would like to think that our Non-English speaking Paisano workers don’t need translated warnings such as: “No Atraviese el Freeway Mientras Vienen Carros”, or “No Se Tiren De La Azotea” in order to avoid accidents. I also don’t believe that a lack of English literacy equals a lack of common sense. I like to think that these guys have as much good sense and sufficient work skills & survival instincts as anyone else. Perhaps there’s just greater numbers of Non-English speaking workforce out there today with a greater exposure to hazardous working conditions? Or, more conspiratorily, perhaps worksite management isn’t as vigilant to all safety guidelines when these hard working, but non-english speaking, paisas are on the job? Who Knows? I just think that these workers deserve a little more credit than this study by some East Coast researchers would imply.
article:Â http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/
Â
A few years ago I was wandering the halls at LACMA when I came upon the unmistakeable figure of Mr. Cheech Marin lounging nonchalantly among the art pieces. I stopped, trying to formulate how to put almost 40 years of personal gratitude and adulation into a simple, non-intrusive sentence, when he turned towards me, smiling, with his eyes squinting into those impossibly thin slits, and croaked: “What’s up, Dude”? At that moment, It dawned on me that all I had to say back to him was “What’s up, Man?” right back, and just let the sincerity and genuine affection in my voice speak for itself. There’s no need for ceremony when you meet a genuine “Dude”. And Mr. Marin is just that. Having read in JUXTAPOSE magazine about his intense personal collection of Chicano Art, I asked him about it, and he told me about having his collection on a nationwide traveling exhibition. The guy has great taste. Now, here’s a chance or us to see some of that classic Chicano artwork through Cheech’s squinty eyes.
pictured above: Chaz Bojórquez, Chino Latino, 2000, acrylic on canvas, 60 x 72 in., collection of Cheech Marin
June 15, 2008–November 2, 2008 | LACMA West
The Cheech Marin collection is notable for classic examples of Chicano art produced from the inception of the Chicano movement to the present, with a concentration in painting from the 1980s and 90s. This exhibition will present significant paintings and works on paper by such Los Angeles-based Chicana/o artists as Carlos Almaraz, Chaz Bojorquez, Diane Gamboa, Gronk, Gilbert “Magu†Lujan, Frank Romero, John Valadez, and Patssi Valdez.
Discussion | Cheech Marin and Chon NoriegaÂ
Sunday, June 22 | 2 pm
Chon Noriega, UCLA professor and LACMA adjunct curator, and art collector/actor/activist Cheech Marin discuss the current state of Chicano art. Additionally, they address the place of Chicano art in history, Marin’s own collection, and developing the Latino audience. This conversation is presented in conjunction with the exhibition Los Angelenos/Chicano Painters of L.A.: Selections from the Cheech Marin Collection, which opens June 15.
Bing Theater | Free, no reservations | Don’t go straight to this show
www.lacma.org/art/ExhibMarin.aspx
Â
Â
Â
Â
Memories of Lost L.A. Eateries, Â Part 2
Still more nostalgia for those long gone L.A. favorites……………..
